Lyme Disease
Connie Waltz RN BSN
The Robert M. Lombard Hyperbaric Oxygenation Medical Center Inc.
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Lyme disease is a serious and often devastating illness. The usual cause is the bite from a tick infected with the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete carried by mice, deer and other warm-blooded animals. The B. burgdorferi spirochete is an anaerobic bacterium. That is, it cannot exist in oxygen. Reproduction of the spirochetes is thought to be inhibited by an increase in O2 levels. Oxygen at an elevated partial-pressure effectively saturates all tissues and crosses the blood-brain barrier. The benefits of such penetration depend upon the sensitivity of the spirochete to the elevated levels of O2.
Multiple Sclerosis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are among many conditions in which symptoms closely resemble Lyme disease, thereby making Lyme difficult to diagnose. Fibroblasts tend to protect the spirochete against antibiotics making a diagnosis and treatment plan complicated and individualized. Living spirochetes have been found in a muscle biopsy after a year of IV antibiotic treatments.
Most patients treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) experience an exacerbation of symptoms called a Herxheimer response, believed to be caused by the toxins unleashed as the spirochetes die off. The Herxheimer usually diminishes in severity. Many patients have reported a significant (sometimes even total) decrease in symptoms over a period of time, even after stopping antibiotic treatments.
Prior to the initiation of HBO treatments, patients must have a physician's order, sign a waiver and release, complete a symptom survey, and are oriented to the treatment. 30 to 40 treatments, 1 to 2 times per day, are the current recommendation. With the exception of temporary ear discomfort as explained in the Hyperbaric literature, Lyme patients may also experience the temporary Herxheimer. No other adverse reactions are expected. Patients are requested to continue follow-up care with their personal physicians.
Since HBO treatment is still in the experimental stages for Lyme, insurance reimbursements may or may not be available.
Reference:
The Text Book Of Hyperbaric Oxygen Medicine, By K.K. Jain MD
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, By Dr Richard Neubauer MD
Printed with Permission
